Tire maker has 88 total overall wins in Baja

Ensenada, Mexico, June 1, 2017 – With overall wins in 14 of the last 15 SCORE International races, BFGoodrich looks to climb back on the top spot at the 2017 SCORE Baja 500, taking place in Ensenada, Baja Mexico June 1-3.

BFGoodrich® Tires is focused on claiming its 32nd overall SCORE Baja 500 win. In continuing its commitment to supporting the desert racing, BFGoodrich will award $10,000 in contingency money to the overall winners of the race running exclusively on their tires.

Last year, the SCORE Baja 500 eluded the tire maker, which owns 88 overall wins in Baja desert racing, when Tavo Vildosola edged BFGoodrich Performance Team member Rob MacCachren by just three minutes to claim the win.

MacCachren has in fact come up just shy of the overall Baja 500 win the past two years, finishing second each year by a total of less than four minutes. In 2015, it was just 50 seconds that separated himself from overall winner Carlos Apdaly Lopez.

An ongoing strategy for BFGoodrich Tires over the course of four decades of desert racing remains its support for the widest range of classes in SCORE Baja racing. Last year, BFGoodrich claimed eight class wins at the SCORE Baja 500 and over the course of the last five years; the brand has achieved 46 class titles.

Storylines for the 49th Running of the SCORE Baja 500:

BFGoodrich has taken the overall win in 14 of the last 15 SCORE International Desert races and it has also collected 30 of the last 36 major North American desert races, including the Best In The Desert series.

In the Baja peninsula, BFGoodrich Tires dominates, collecting a total of 88 overall victories.

Last year, BFGoodrich Tires claimed its 31st overall SCORE Baja 500 win. Over the past five years, BFGoodrich has been on 41 of the top 50 overall finishers and claimed 46 class titles at the SCORE Baja 500.

Taking into account the last three years of races in Baja, BFGoodrich Tires has claimed 80 percent of the overall top finishers (103 of 130) and an astounding 118 class wins.

Unending Tire Development

Last year at the SCORE Baja 500 race, BFGoodrich continued its ongoing tire development as it quietly ran what is now known at the Baja T/A®KR3 race tire.

After the immense success of the KR2 tire, which owns 24 overall desert race wins as it became the “go to” tire for top class desert racers, BFGoodrich engineers were at it again, continuing a tradition of decades of developing the highest performing tires in the desert.

The KR2 and now the KR3 tire, remains available, with subtle adjustments, for several classes. Racers in Class 7 and Class 10, as well as the UTV class, will be running KR2 tires and joining those in the Trophy Truck, Class 1 and Trophy Truck Spec classes often choosing either the KR2 or KR3 tires. It is anticipated that roughly 75 percent of the Trophy Truck field will be running on BFGoodrich tires.

MacCachren Rolling Along

The winner of the last three SCORE Baja 1000 races has continued his hot streak since that race. MacCachren followed that win last November with an opening season win at the SCORE San Felipe 250 in April just after he claimed his first Best In The Desert MINT 400 overall win.

Menzies Ready to Contend Again

BFGoodrich Performance Team member Bryce Menzies has captured the overall win at the SCORE Baja 500 three times, with the last coming in 2014. Recovering from nagging injuries, Menzies is poised to drive his No. 77 Red Bull Ford Trophy Truck seeking his fourth overall title at this race and join an elite group of just five racers who have four overall SCORE Baja 500 wins.

The historic desert tires

The BFGoodrich® Radial All-Terrain T/A® tire invented the all-terrain category and just like many off road tires, used the Baja peninsula as a proving ground for its toughness and performance. Launched 41 years ago, this tire claimed its first victory in 1977 at the Baja 500. Several years later on the next iteration of the tire it claimed the first of many overall Baja 1000 wins in 1986 in an entry driven by Mark McMillin and Ralph Paxton. That started a run that witnessed the BFGoodrich Tires company claim 20 consecutive overall Baja 1000 titles.

From there the BFGoodrich Baja TA KR tire became the tire of choice for more race teams in Baja than any other tire. Starting in the early 1990s, the KR tire helped evolving, faster and heavier Trophy Trucks to victory. The BFGoodrich Baja KR and KRT tire has taken home more overall Baja 1000 wins than any other tire combined. And with the new iteration of that tire, the KR2, the success story continues.

40 – plus years of heritage in Baja

Last year, BFGoodrich Tires celebrated 40 years since the brand launched its legacy in desert racing in the Baja peninsula. With its first entry in the 1976 SCORE Baja 1000, the company knew they were entering new terrain but may not have known it would become four decades of dominance in desert racing.

This was when BFGoodrich discovered the Baja peninsula as a proving grounds and laboratory for its tires. The results of the tests, and the entrance next year into Baja desert racing, led to an off-road motorsports program second-to-none. A tire company that at the time had one product line, with one size (12R15) and virtually no market share in the light truck category, now boasts 10 product lines for light truck with seven that can claim Baja class victories and has the largest market share in the recreation light truck category.

Unparalleled Race Support

In addition to supplying tires to a number of SCORE Baja 500 competitors, BFGoodrich Tires will continue to lend unparalleled pit and communications support to teams through its fleet of off-road motorsports vehicles, and will provide accommodations and supplies at the media center. This immense undertaking involves more than 80 off-road enthusiasts and volunteers who donate their time in order to help make the race an overwhelming success.

Follow along with this year’s SCORE Baja 500 with race stories, images and videos as well as images at www.bfgoodrichracing.com.

With more than 100 years of heritage, BFGoodrich® Tires is dedicated to providing high performance tires for those who have a passion for driving in virtually any environment. Combining technical expertise with 45 years of motorsports experience, BFGoodrich Tires delivers tires for a full range of driving experiences from ultra-high performance street to off-road terrain with one common theme – extreme performance. Come upgrade your performance with BFGoodrich and see where our tires can take you at www.BFGoodrichTires.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BFGoodrichTires or on Twitter at @BFGoodrichTires.